Persecution of Christians in Syria: Clearly the Turkish government is using its military actions in Syria to further its longstanding persecution of Christians, which includes the ongoing discrimination against of and harassment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians of Turkey; the occupation and ethnic cleansing of northern Cyprus; the long imprisonment of Pastor Andrew Brunson and other Christian leaders; and much more. The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, once again appeals to the United Nations and all nations that are concerned about human rights to do all they can to protect the Christians of Syria and the Middle East in general, and to do all they can to bring an end to the unjust and illegal actions of the Turkish government.
For more ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Syria, see here.
“What is Turkey Doing in Syria?,” International Christian Concern, April 4, 2020:
04/04/2020 Syria (International Christian Concern) – Despite the increasing number of challenges Turkey is facing domestically, Ankara continues to grow its military involvement in Syria. The month of March concluded with multiple reports of the Turkish army shelling areas known to be predominately Christian. Some injuries, but no casualties, were reported. Earlier in the month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had reported that 6,000 fighters from Syrian factions affiliated with Ankara were deployed in rural areas around Tell Abyad….
Indeed, the areas which were impacted by the recent artillery shelling were historically populated by those who survived the Ottoman-era genocide towards Christians a century ago. The generational memories of this trauma continues to persist, and these historical wounds are made deeper by Syria’s ongoing civil war.